New Zealand Mosque Attack: Nigerian-born Imam was involved

A Nigerian, Lateef Alabi, was caught in the web of the attack of Muslims by a far right white man of Australian extraction, Brenton Tarrant, on Friday at New Zealand mosque in ChristChurch area of the Oceania country.

Tarrant attacked two mosques killing 49 worshippers attending the Jumat service in a shooting spree.

Alabi, who is the Linwood mosque’s acting Imam, was leading a congregation when Tarrant struck.

The Nigerian gave an eyewitness account in an interview with foreign media.

He told London Mail that he heard a voice outside the mosque at about 1.55pm and stopped the prayer he was leading to look out the window, only to see a man in black military-style gear and a helmet holding a large gun and assumed it was a police officer.

Then he saw two bodies and heard the gunman yelling obscenities.

“I realised this is something else. This is a killer,” Alabi said and shouted at the congregation of more than 80 people to get down.

They hesitated only for a shot to be fired by Tarrant, shattering a window and felling a worshipper.

That what when it dawned on the congregation that they were under attack.

“Then this brother came over,” he said of the moment Aziz could no longer bear the unfolding scenario.

“He (Aziz) went after him, and he managed to overpower him, and that’s how we were saved.

“Otherwise, if he managed to come into the mosque, then we would all probably be gone.”